


Feast or Famine

by SpringlockedSpectre



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (for Black Friday anyway), (not any of the main characters), Alternate Universe - Black Friday, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon Typical Violence, Character Death, M/M, Mind Control, Single Dad Gavin Reed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 10:07:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30137925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpringlockedSpectre/pseuds/SpringlockedSpectre
Summary: Black Friday’s right around the corner, and for Gavin Reed, that meant a shot at fixing his relationship with his kid by buying them this brand-new doll: the Tickle-Me-Wiggly. But there’s something up with this doll, he just can’t put his finger on it.
Relationships: Gavin Reed & Original Nonbinary Character, Tina Chen & Chris Miller & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Kudos: 30
Collections: DBH AU Big Bang 2020





	1. take what you want

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! Welcome to my entry for the [DBH AU Big Bang](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/dbhaubigbang), featuring incredible art from Jude-Shotto, who also posts art on both [Twitter](https://twitter.com/judeshotto) and [Tumblr!](https://jude-shotto.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Huge shoutout to my wonderful friend [ Orangebubble](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orangebubble/pseuds/Orangebubble) for beta reading my fic AGAIN najlfakfmldafm

It's 2040 in Detroit, Michigan. The ground was coated by a thick layer of snow, while carolers went from door to door, singing different songs that all carry the jovial vibe of the season. Christmas songs blared from speakers within stores, and adverts for Christmas movies and Christmas events were plastered around the screens.

Gavin turned on the radio for a moment, eyeing the little blessing in the passenger seat to make sure they didn't wake up. A familiar jingle played, and Gavin found himself tapping along to the beat. It was a commercial for this new doll thing, and the first time he heard it, he immediately thought _‘Drew might like that’_. As the days passed by, Black Friday was getting closer, and normally, Gavin didn’t want to deal with that day of chaos and mania. He was a fucking detective, for crying out loud, not some mall cop who’d get fucking trampled in a store. But just imagining his kid’s face lighting up… it was a good incentive.

The “Tickle-Me-Wiggly” by Uncle Wiley Toys had been the hottest toy on the market, probably still was at the time. It was this cute furry little monster, and it fucking giggled and shit if you rubbed its belly well. Gavin took one look at its commercial while Drew commented on the mania of adults consumed by capitalism that caused actual riots over things as minuscule as dolls, and decided that he just _had_ to get them one of those little fuckers.

_“After all, what better gift than a snuggly little friendy-wend?”_

Gavin shook his head as he stopped at a red light. But first, he had to think of an excuse to get it. No doubt that there’d be a bunch of fuckers on their way to go get themselves a Wiggly too, so he had to leave as soon as possible. He could always settle for another work incident, but he’d pretty much overused that one. Just remembering the hurt on Drew’s face as he told them that he couldn’t stay at their birthday because fucking Fowler decided to have him go on a fucking case...

Sure, being a single dad sucked, but being the kid of a single dad who was gone for most of your life, and somehow managed to miss almost every single fucking important event in your life? Sucked even more, and Gavin knew that.

The detective huffed a breath of warm air as the light turned green. He pushed forward to go through the thicket of trees, driving across the gravel path on the way to this homey lodge Chris and Tina rented for the holiday season. It wasn’t too big, but it was just the right size for the three of them and their families. Tina said that this place didn’t have too many yelp reviews, but only because it was so low-key, and y’know what? Gavin was okay with that. As a detective, there was always too much shit going on, so spending his break somewhere off the grid was the perfect thing to ease his mind.

“Hey, kiddo. We’re here.” Gavin got out of the car, opened Drew’s side of the car, and shook them as light as he could, smiling softly as they woke up.

Drew rubbed their eyes and smiled back, arms out for an embrace. Gavin rolled his eyes and picked them up anyway, closing the door and walking to the trunk to get their things. He set Drew down and let them explore the place, not even surprised at their excited yelling upon seeing Tina and Chris. 

“Hey, Uncle Chris! Auntie Tina!” Drew yelled at the top of their lungs as they practically tackle-charged Chris into a hug. 

Tina laughed amicably and pinched their cheek from where she stood beside Chris. “Hey, buddy. How’s your break been?”

“It’s been great!” Drew’s face lit up excitedly. “Dad and I went to the theme park last week, and he taught me how to fire the little pellet guns at the arcade!”

“Yeah? Your dad’s been teaching you how to be a cop, huh?” Tina teased, which got a laugh out of both Drew and Chris. She pretended to wipe away a tear as she walked towards Gavin, pressing a hand up to his chest. “Have mercy on the kid, Gavin. They don’t deserve to work with you!”

“Piss off, Chen,” Gavin smiled as he engulfed her in a bear hug that lifted her off the ground. He set her down just as Chris put Drew down and told them to go explore the cabin with Tina. Gavin decided to take a page from Drew’s book and tackled Chris into a hug too, just for fun, causing them both to tumble to the ground laughing like a bunch of idiots. “Missed you, man.”

Chris shoved Gavin off him with a look of faux-disappointment in his eyes. “I could tell.”

Gavin barked out a genuine laugh as he helped Chris get up. He felt… oddly at peace, right now. He never really liked the holidays — both because it reminded him of his own shitty memories of them, and because he couldn’t bear the thought of Drew spending another Christmas all alone.

 _At least they’ll have Chris and Tina right now._ Gavin thought to himself as he walked into the lodge, Chris talking about how much of a struggle it was to get Damien to fall asleep last night, and how the poor boy was now passed out in the room. Gavin laughed as genuinely as he could, which Chris didn’t seem to buy but didn’t comment on. Chris patted Gavin’s back in what was probably supposed to be a comforting manner, but it only filled him with dread.

He walked over and kneeled right in front of Drew, who was talking animatedly with Tina, something about this show which was basically Survivor but with killers and in space. Drew smiled up at him, but then noticed something on his face as their expression shifted to a deep concern with little traces of hurt. Gavin sighed as he grabbed their hand. “Hey, Drew.”

“You promised,” they whispered as they tried to blink away tears.

“I know,” Gavin responded, barely flinching as Drew ripped their hand away from his hold. Gavin let them. Drew walked a few paces back, breathing heavily as they pointed accusingly at Gavin.

“Leave!” they yelled. “Since your job is way more important than your kid, anyway!”

Gavin’s heart broke as they said those words, but it always seemed to be the case. “Drew-”

They stormed off, running deeper into the cottage to calm themselves down. Alone, yet again. Gavin cursed himself as he watched Drew disappear from view, while Tina looked at him in shock, surprise, and disgust.

~~He deserved it anyway.~~

~~~~

“What the fuck, Gav?” Tina immediately laid into him, pulling him up by the hem of his shirt. “We don’t have a work thing today! Hell, we don’t have anything ‘till after Christmas!”

“I know, I know! I just needed an excuse to go to ToyZone without them getting suspicious,” Gavin said in an upset tone, trying to get Tina to see what he was trying to do. He whispered to her in a hushed voice, despite knowing full well that Drew had gone up to the furthest room from them judging by the loud door slam from what he guessed was a few meters away. “I’m planning on getting Drew one of those Tickle-Me-Wiggly things. Heard about it on the radio and I just…”

Tina’s eyes lit up suddenly as she looked around for them, before shaking Gavin excitedly. “No way! You must’ve pre-ordered that ages ago!”

“Ha. Nah, ToyZone doesn’t do pre-orders, but, seeing as it’s like, 6:30AM, I’m likely gonna get it and get back here in a few hours.”

Tina’s eyes widened, before turning to deep concern and sympathy? Why the fuck would she…? “Gav, I’m not sure you understand the demand for this doll. Chris tried to pre-order one for Damien, but all the shops said that the latest he’s going to get one is _next_ Christmas, not this Christmas.”

“You… No, you’ve gotta be- Tina, you’re pulling my dick right now, yeah?” Gavin sputtered because what the actual fuck? Why would a goddamn _doll_ have pre-orders backed up to _next fucking Christmas?_ Upon seeing the look on Tina’s face, he lost hope that he’d ever give Drew a merry fucking Christmas.

Of course, he wouldn’t be able to. When had life ever worked out in his favor, after all? When did life ever give him a fucking break?! From all the heartache and physical bruises, from all the times he couldn’t be there for Drew when they needed him most, from all the times he’d been a major fuck-up in general?

“No,” Gavin muttered under his breath. Then he said it again, louder. And again, louder. And again, and again, louder and louder, until he was pretty fucking sure that Drew heard him. “I’ve fucked up way too much! If I can’t get the _one thing_ they asked for Christmas, I’m gonna fucking _take_ it myself!”

And with that, Gavin stormed out of the house, a deep hunger for the _one thing_ that could make his kid happy in his eyes, and got in his car, driving off to the Lakeside Mall.

* * *

Before Gavin even got to the fucking mall, he could already see a huge ass line right in front of him. He thought to himself, hey, maybe that’s for another thing, but _no._ He discovered as soon as he passed the ToyZone, that the line led directly to the shop. The line that Gavin spotted all the way from Windwood Drive, was the line to the FUCKING ToyZone where he needed to get a fucking Wiggly.

He cursed as he parked in one of the open spaces near the mall, getting out to try to find his way to the back of the line and somehow manage to get a doll, when a thought occurs to him.

_“Why don’t you start a fight! Get all the blood pumping. It’s going to be a good distraction for you to sneak in line!”_

And y’know what? Gavin thought that was a _great_ idea. The best idea. The thought comes again.

_“Wait a few minutes just before the doors open. Then you’ll get to meet me real soon!”_

Meet who? Gavin shook his head, eyeing his watch just to keep track of the perfect moment to strike. He scanned the crowd, looking for the best possible target. He saw a couple of people, but his eyes set on one person in particular. Tall lumberjack-looking fucker with a plaid shirt and a fucking tattoo that proclaimed how much he loved his mother. He looked like he knew how to throw a punch, and goddamn, if Gavin wasn’t itching for a fight.

And thus, Gavin made his pick.

He waited a few more moments, getting it down to the minute before ToyZone opened before he struck out. The seconds passed by slowly, Gavin watching the clock intently. _Fifteen seconds._ He looked up at his target. _Seven seconds._ He cracked his knuckles and let out a feral grin. _Three. Two-_

_“Now!”_

Gavin rushed forward and slammed his fist right into the tall fuck’s face. Several people around them gasped, but none of them moved from their spots. Tall fucker recovered from the hit and straightened up to his full height, likely trying to intimidate Gavin but failing miserably. “The fuck was that for?”

“You think that you can get a fuckin’ Wiggly, just because you got here first, huh?” Gavin sneered. It wasn’t the best excuse he could come up with, but seeing the anger on that guy’s face just made his heart beat faster, adrenaline coursing through his veins. _This is gonna be_ **_fun_ ** _._ “Just ‘cause you’re a fuckin’ hot piece of ass, you think you can just waltz in here and-”

Hot fucker charged him, narrowly missing him due to Gavin expecting the hit coming. The fucker roared as he charged towards him again, but this time Gavin ducked and caused the tall fucker to hit someone else behind him. The woman he hit started bleeding from her nose, but instead of screaming for help, she fucking shrieked as she jumped onto him, yanking the fuck out of his hair.

The tall fucker stumbled backward into some other people, and just like that, there was chaos.

A line of fully-grown adults, yelling and hitting one another for the sake of getting a fucking doll. Gavin would’ve laughed if he weren’t there for the same reason. But no, he laughed because he was having the time of his life. When was the last time he’d started a fist-fight just for the fun of it? Gavin couldn’t remember, so he just focused on beating people into the ground with his fists.

For once in his life, Gavin felt _famished_ . He was hungry, for more violence, more blood to be spilled, more of _everything_ he’d been deprived of ever since he became an officer of the law. He laughed, like a fucking maniac as he punched someone hard, causing them to teeter on the edge of consciousness before getting up and moving on to the next person. 

Gavin rushed towards the one person standing in front of the line, not partaking in any of the vicious fighting going on behind him, acting as if there was absolutely nothing going on, and as he threw a fist towards the back of his head-

The guy turned around and yanked his arm, shooting him a quick glare before he’s thrown to the ground. Gavin bit off a curse as he got back up, spitting some blood out as he punched the other man in the nose, a ~sickening~ _satisfying_ crack erupting as his nose broke. 

“Motherfucker-” The guy cursed in a voice that felt familiar to Gavin. Wait, where the fuck did he hear this voice before? Before Gavin could even get his thoughts together, the guy punched him in the throat, causing him to stumble backward as the guy began wailing on him.

 _This feels hella familiar._ Gavin thought as his head was beaten into the ground. _Wait a minute._ “Nines?”

The guy paused at the mention of Nines, and now that Gavin could think kinda clearly, he recognized Nines’ stark blue eyes, darkened with that fucking stone-cold gaze that was borderline sadistic, before it shifted to bright blue eyes shining with recognition. “Gavin?”

"Nines!" Gavin grinned the dumbest grin he'd ever had on his face since high school. Nines seemed as shocked to see him just as he was, and it was evident in how he gripped Gavin's arm as he helped him up.

"It really is you, isn't it?" Nines asked gently, his hand coming up to stroke Gavin's cheek. Gavin leaned into the touch, closing his eyes as Nines's hands continued to roam his body.

"Y-Yeah, it is," Gavin laughed softly as he wiped the blood dripping from his nose. "Only I could be this horny after nearly gettin' beat to death."

Nines rolled his eyes and shook his head, taking hold of Gavin's head and tilting it this way and that, most likely taking note of any injuries he might've gotten from the fight. "Oh, I know. You'd always let me bully you into a kissing match in the boys' locker rooms."

Gavin snorted and punched Nines' shoulder. The taller man stumbled back a bit due to the force of the punch, but he only grinned brightly. That was their thing after all. "Damn, it's been… how long has it been?"

"Twenty years since we first met in senior year," Nines smiled softly, a bit of melancholy in his voice as he turned away from Gavin.

Gavin remained silent, the sounds of everyone fighting behind him being lost in his thoughts. "Why'd we even drift apart? I thought that we'd…"

Nines let out a bitter huff of air as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Life happened, I guess. We both got busier with work, to the point where we just couldn't make time for each other."

The detective sighed, looking over to the ToyZone's entrance. He shook his head. There wasn't any time for chit-chat. He came here to get a fucking doll for his kid, he wasn't going to let an old fling _from high school_ distract him from that.

He looked up when people were being told to get back in line by some security officers and without thinking, he stood behind Nines, taking his hand in his. Nines squeezed his hand tightly for a few moments, but neither of them let go.

"Uh, hey," The lady, who Gavin presumed was behind Nines before he cut in, spoke up in an irritated tone. "You're in my spot."

"Uh, no?" Gavin winced at how he practically _asked_ her that. The lady's face grew red, her mouth opened to probably say some things that Gavin would've decked her for, until-

"Yeah, we were here first. Right, babe?" Nines cut in immediately. _Thank fuck for Nines._

Gavin smiled up at Nines, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips. "Yeah."

The woman looked at both of them in confusion, which quickly morphed to rage as she began hitting Gavin repeatedly on the shoulder. At first, it really didn't hurt. But then her hits grew harder and harder, and he was being pushed back into Nines, and she didn't fucking relent even when two security officers went up to her.

The security officers simply looked at each other and sighed, before whipping out their tasers and shocking the woman into near unconsciousness. She collapsed to the ground, seizing every few seconds, and neither Gavin nor anyone else in line batted an eye.

 _Wait, what the fuck._ Gavin's eyes shot up in alarm, his head snapped towards the woman who was being dragged away nonchalantly by the security officers. _What the fuck?_

He tugged at Nines's hand, getting him to turn and look at him. Nines looked at him unquestioningly. "What's up, Gav?"

"Did… You saw that, right?" Gavin tried to explain, but his thoughts consisted only of _what the fuck?_ and _did that just happen?,_ he looked at Nines with pleading eyes, hopefully sending that feeling of _wrongness_ in what just happened.

Nines's eyebrows shot up too, but as he was about to say something, another thought entered Gavin's mind.

_"Forget about it. You're so close, just a little bit more!"_

And you know what? Gavin did. He calmed down and as soon as he looked up at Nines, he saw the other man's face relax too. Everything was fine, he assured himself. Nines blinked a couple times, shaking his head before turning to Gavin with a confused expression. “Uh. What were you saying?”

“I…” Gavin stared blankly back at Nines. What _was_ he going to say? “I forgot. Mustn’t’ve been important.”

Nines looked at him weirdly but nodded anyway as if reassuring himself that there was in fact, nothing wrong. But there was nothing wrong. Right? Sure, it was kinda weird that everybody in the line was an adult and had no kids with them, but it was probably just ‘cause they wanted to surprise their kids. But still, something about this made Gavin’s detective senses tingle. _Something’s wrong._ Gavin thought.

Before Gavin could second-guess his thoughts, the cheering of nearly everyone around him took him out of his thoughts. He turned up and saw one of the workers flip the sign from ‘closed’ to ‘open’ and open the door. A grin made its way onto Gavin’s face as he moved with the rest of the people in a single file line.

It was so surreal, that moment. Gavin swore that he could see a giant Wiggly on the reflections on the windows, surrounded in darkness and the only light came from its eyes, but surely that wasn’t the case. He was probably just so hyped up by the chance to actually get a Wiggly. For Drew. Yeah, for them. God, the smile on their face once he got that doll…

Gavin was so entranced by the thought of Drew’s smiling face that he accidentally bumped into Nines, which-

“Ow!” Gavin cursed as he brought a hand up to his aching head. “Motherfucker.”

Nines turned back and muttered a soft apology, before turning back to the front of the line. _Fucking hell,_ that hurt. Why did his head hurt- wait. He just got beaten up a few seconds ago. In fact, every single person in this fucking line got beat up in some capacity, but they’re just walking in line as if nothing happened? That uneasy feeling resurfaced in Gavin’s stomach, and he was seriously considering just getting the fuck outta there and seeing a psychologist or something. Why _did_ he, and everyone else, just forget about the sheer amount of violence that just happened out there? More importantly, _how_ did they just forget that?

Gavin’s little descent into conspiracy theorizing was cut off by seeing a rack, filled to the brim with Tickle-Me-Wigglys, boxed and in pristine condition. They looked so… soft. Another thought passed through his brain.

 _“Getting a Wiggly is your number one priority!”_ The thought sounded so cheerful. _“It’s the only way to fix your failing relationship with Drew, you know?”_

Right. Drew would hate him if he couldn’t get a Wiggly. They’d hate him so fucking much for backing out from a family vacation and coming back empty-handed. Shit, he really needed a Wiggly. _It’s the only way,_ he reminded himself.

He waited his turn to get a Wiggly, eyeing how many of the boxes were still on the shelves as customers passed by him, joy plastered on their faces as they pressed their ears against the box as if Wiggly was talking to them. _There’s loads of boxes left. I can still get one._ The line moved forward, Gavin being fifth in line for a Wiggly and barely containing his excitement when some prissy-looking guy walked straight in front of the line and tapped on the counter.

“Uh, sir. The end of the line’s that way,” The store clerk said, amongst the chattering of the various people about this guy, how he looked familiar, and something about how that guy gets everything these days.

“Oh, I know. But perhaps I could give you an offer that you just can’t refuse.” The prissy bitch pulled out a business card with flair, presenting it to the store clerk. “Elijah Kamski, CEO of Cyberlife. I’d like to purchase all of your remaining Wigglys for $10,000,000.”

 _MOTHERFUCKER._ Gavin might’ve said that out loud, but whether he did or didn’t was lost as the line voiced similar sentiments. Multiple people got out of line, stating how it isn’t fair, but Gavin stayed in his spot. Because he fought for this spot. He won it fair and square, he wasn’t going to lose it to some shit who decided that this was free real estate.

“A Wiggly is $49.95, that’s how it should be!” One very disgruntled woman yelled at the clerk. “I’ve got kids at home that have been waiting for at least one Wiggly, it’s unfair for you to just cut in line and buy _all_ of them!”

“What do you even need all those Wigglys for, you prick?!” Another person yelled. A bunch more people yelled, airing similar sentiments of _‘fuck you, I was here first, you can’t just buy_ all _of them’_ , which while Gavin agreed with that, he was too busy wondering how he could just… yoink one of them out. Take one of the shelves, slip out while everyone’s fighting.

Either way, Kamski didn’t look phased by the yelling one bit, only presenting his credit card. The clerk started to gather up all the boxes to give to the rich bitch, but before Gavin could even register how Kamski was gonna just get all the Wigglys because he was rich and they weren’t, the disgruntled woman, the first person Gavin clocked acting out against Kamski, yelled something.

“If I can’t buy a Wiggly… I’m gonna have to _take_ one!” She charged Kamski, immediately knocking him into the desk and vaulting over it to get a box, before running out with the doll in her arms. Multiple people stared at her as she left but then got the memo. 

_“Take one! No one’s stopping you!”_

Gavin let out a war cry as he charged into the fray, touching one box before it’s ripped away from his grasp by another running person. It’s chaos everywhere, people are fighting again, but this time it’s more _violent._ More primal. People bashing each other over the head with those plastic candy canes, toppling shelves to try to either crush the opposition or hinder their path towards getting a doll.

Those who managed to get Wigglys scrambled out of the building, while the rest fought for one. Gavin yelled as he got hit in the gut by someone with an umbrella, seemingly intent on skewering him. The thought comes back, this time worse.

_“If you don’t get one, your relationship with Drew will crumble, Gavie. Their life will be incomplete because something is missing in their life.”_

“No,” Gavin growled as he took hold of the umbrella digging into his stomach, wrestling it out of that person’s hands and whacking them on the head with it. Once, then twice, then a few more times. Just to make sure that they stayed down.

Gavin’s gaze lingered on the downed customer for only a brief second before he turned around to face the chaos, a deep insatiable urge to fight filling him as he looked at the bloodied faces of everyone around him. Some people started bringing out knives, which Gavin took note to avoid. He charged past some of the knife-wielding people, focusing on a stray Wiggly, presumably dropped and forgotten throughout the sheer amount of violence.

_“That’s it! Come get me and run before-”_

A sharp cry broke Gavin out of his thoughts for a brief moment. He turned to face the source and saw Nines, battered by three people and holding onto his Wiggly for dear life. Without a second thought, he charged towards the crowd, umbrella in hand, and jousted one of them off of Nines, whacking the other two in the backs of their heads.

“G-Gav…?” Nines blearily looked up at him, hugging the box closer towards his chest. Gavin held out his hand, grinning as Nines took it and helped him stand up. Nines tried to say something, but behind him, Gavin could already see people glancing their way, a deep gaze of longing on their faces as they clocked the Wiggly secured in Nines’s arms.

“We don’t have a lot of time. We gotta get out of here,” Gavin said with urgency, yanking Nines by the arm and out of the shop. The pair ran past several stores, all seemingly deserted, yet they paid them no mind. After a bit more running, they paused near a water fountain, catching their breaths.

“Are you alright?” Nines asked after a moment, to which Gavin only nodded in response. Nines smiled at him softly, brushing a strand of hair from his face. “Good. You look like you really took a beating there, Gav.”

“Yeah.” Gavin scrunched his nose and let out a deep sigh. “Motherfuckers really wanted that fucking doll, didn’t they?”

Nines only hummed in response, neither affirming nor disagreeing with his statement, his brows pinched. Gavin turned to face him, noticing how he gripped his Wiggly closer to his chest, hiding it away in his arms, and it was at that moment that Gavin realized that… he didn’t actually pick up the fucking Wiggly on the floor earlier. He just left the one thing to save his crumbling relationship with his child because…

...because he wanted to get laid?

“So, Nines. See you’ve got a Wiggly right there.” Gavin’s eyes stayed trained on the boxed toy, looking at it while trying to think of a way to get Nines distracted enough that he wouldn’t notice it being snatched from his grasp. “Mind if I have a look?”

Nines immediately stood up and backed away, but Gavin kept pace. Nines furrowed his brows, piercing gaze warily eyeing Gavin’s movements. “No. You’re going to try to take him from me.”

Gavin stepped forward, just as Nines stepped backward. He kept stepping forward, backing Nines against a wall with a low growl in his throat. “Nah. I just. Wanna hold him.”

They stared each other down for a few moments, Gavin didn’t know whether the moments lasted seconds or minutes, but all thoughts left him the moment Nines decided to run. All except one.

_“Chase him and take what’s rightfully yours.”_

Letting out an animalistic scream, Gavin ran after Nines, who desperately clung onto the Wiggly while trying to use their surroundings to hinder Gavin, but he kept getting closer. His heart pounded against his chest as Nines kicked a trash can in his direction, yet he jumped over it easily and got even closer. Close enough to hear Nines’s heavy breathing, the way his heart hammered against his ribs before he immediately turned and raised a fist-

_Crack!_

Gavin’s face collided with Nines’s fist, the momentum from running doubling the pain but he didn’t- he _couldn’t_ care, Nines had the fucking Wiggly and he was getting away. Gavin growled and pounced on the brunet, the Wiggly dropping to his side. He ignored it for now, keeping his mind into choking Nines until he passed out so he couldn’t fucking bother him when he eventually got the Wiggly.

Nines struggled, kicking and hitting Gavin but he wouldn’t let go of his throat, and Gavin? He was having the time of his fucking life. He let out a deranged laugh, not caring if there was anyone who could hear it. “Hm, doesn’t this feel familiar, Nines? Me choking you out ‘til you pass out? Wonder how long you’ll last before I can take this fucking doll of your hands!”

That seemed to kick Nines into high gear, as he began kicking and hitting Gavin even more. One advantage of being a tall-ass fucker like Nines was the fact that he had longer arms, which he used to hit Gavin in the throat. Gavin choked back a pained grunt, his arms went to his neck instinctually, which was enough of a distraction for Nines to get the upper hand.

Nines’ sadistic stone-cold eyes returned, accompanied with a manic grin, a few bubbles of airy laughter coming out of his lips as he wrapped his hands around Gavin’s throat. Gavin clawed at Nines’s arms, kicked and punched at him, but he knew it was a losing battle as soon as Nines got the higher ground. Nines’s grin softened slightly, but in the way that his eyes glistened with malice, Gavin knew that this would most likely be the end for him.

Gavin refused to give up though, so he kept up with his useless struggling. Nines raised a hand, two fingers pointed at his throat and ready to strike. He sighed softly, closing his eyes for a brief moment before he jabbed his fingers into his throat, knocking him out almost immediately.

“G’night, Gav.”


	2. return what you get

The sky was darker when Gavin woke up. His body ached from being beaten profusely, and his throat still hurt like a motherfucker from whatever the fuck Nines did to him. Struggling to get up, Gavin half-walked, half-crawled back to the ToyZone, just in case there were any leftover Wigglys. He knew the chances were slim, but he couldn’t return home without one. Drew would be so fucking disappointed in him and end up hating him for their whole life.

_ “Don’t give up now, you can still get me!”  _ the thought said jovially. Gavin briefly wondered if his own brain was mocking him with how happy it sounded, before dismissing the thought. Of course it was. He was absolutely fucking stupid with trying to save that backstabbing-

His phone rang from within his pocket, which he ignored, choosing to focus on trying to stand up again. With some effort, he managed to get himself on both his feet as his phone stopped ringing. Gavin walked the empty halls of Lakeside mall, not as bothered by the quiet as he thought he would. He always used to hate the quiet, always expecting something to pop out and kill him or something. But he knew that there was nothing left in the mall to pop out at him.

Maybe that was why he didn’t mind this quiet. Everyone else still in the mall was most likely dead.

Gavin arrived inside the ToyZone again, seeing all the Wiggly shelves barren and all other toys strewn around like garbage. He kicked absentmindedly at a box of teddy bears, thinking about how he wouldn’t have gotten into this situation if he had just gotten Drew a fucking teddy. It’d suck, but at least they most likely wouldn’t hate him.

His phone rang yet again, and he was so fucking tired of hearing it ringing that he just picked it up with a grunt. “Gavin Reed.”

“Dad?” Drew’s voice came out from the phone, the signal staticky and distorting their voice but Gavin could tell that it was Drew’s voice. He’d know their voice anywhere. “Where are you?”

“Don’t worry, kiddo. I’m just gettin’ ya a Wiggly, just like you wanted, right?” Gavin sighed as he continued rummaging through the overturned wreckage that was the ToyZone. Drew didn’t respond for a few seconds, so Gavin decided to apologize now before he fucked things up even more. “I know, I know. I didn’t tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise but-”

“Dad, I don’t want a Wiggly.”

Gavin paused for a few seconds. He stood in the middle of the deserted ToyZone, glancing around at the empty mall, suddenly feeling so wrong. He shook his head as he heard Drew call for him a few more times, rubbing a hand down his face. “What? No- you said you wanted one, didn’t you?”

“No, I said that I didn’t want a Wiggly. Even told you about the shopping mania going on,” Drew said over the phone, their concern evident in their voice. Gavin heard some sort of shuffling in the background of the phone call, a door opening, and the sounds of heavy winds. “I think the dolls are kinda ugly in a cute way, but I said that I’d rather just get one of those… what’re those called again, dad? Amiibos?”

That wasn’t right. That couldn’t be. Drew must’ve… but Drew remembers well. They wouldn’t lie to him… so where the hell did Gavin get the idea to buy them a Wiggly then? Gavin shuddered a breath as he shambled out of the ToyZone, a heavy feeling in his heart as Drew said their next words.

“All I wanted was for you to be here with us, yet you couldn’t even do that.”

Several thoughts raged inside of Gavin’s mind, overlapping and most along the lines of why he thought Drew wanted a Wiggly, some about how stupid he was for his actions this whole day, but then the voice in his head came back, louder than the rest of his thoughts.

_ “They’re lying! They’re just pretending that they don’t want one so that you’d be more inclined to get one!” _

Come to think of it, the thought didn’t sound like his own. It sounded like someone else’s voice. Where did Gavin know that voice from? He racked his brain for the answers, but then he heard the distant tunes of the Tickle-Me-Wiggly jingle playing on the TV in the background of his and Drew’s phone call. He diverted his attention to that sound, focusing on it instead of what Drew and the voice were saying, and then it just clicked in his head.

The voice was Wiggly.

He’d been following the orders of a fucking doll — beating people up, forcing himself to fight, angering the one person he actually felt a connection with — all because of a  _ fucking doll.  _

“Jesus fucking christ,” Gavin muttered under his breath. He perked up at Drew’s voice again, cutting them off before they could go on another tangent about how they wanted to beat him at Smash Bros again. “Okay, listen. I’m heading home in a bit, I just got something to do first, alright bud?”

“...sure dad.” Drew acquiesced quietly, a hint of a smile in their voice. “Promise?”

“Promise.” Gavin smiled as he walked back out to his car, thinking of how Drew would most likely be waiting for him at the porch for god knows how long. He looked towards the side and saw Nines’s old Dodge Charger, parked a few rows ahead of his own, still sporting that familiar scrape that they accidentally made when they were making out on it. Nines hadn’t left the building yet. His heart sank deep into his chest, and for a moment, he didn’t think when he spoke. “I’ll even bring someone special with me. I think you’d like him. He’s the only one that could beat me in Mario Party, after all.”

Drew hummed pleasantly, sniffling as if their tears were falling down their face. “Love you, dad.”

“Love you too, kiddo. Hold tight for me, yeah?”

After hanging up, Gavin popped open the trunk of his car and took out a few things he never thought he’d have to use, on Black Friday, of all days. A baton, just for general protection, better than just fighting a bunch of people who possibly had knives with his bare fists. A taser, viable long-ranged weapon, good stun, but stuck to enemies, so he most likely would only get one use out of it. Gavin debated whether or not he should take his gun, and decided it was better safe than sorry in the end, taking it with him and holstering it at his hip.

Taking in a deep breath, Gavin sighed as he strode back inside of Lakeside Mall, hoping that Nines wasn’t in too much trouble just yet.

* * *

The mall was eerily silent. It didn’t bother Gavin back when he was still under that little shit’s mind-fuckery, but now he was completely on edge. His silent steps being the only sound he could hear in this huge ass mall, which was buzzing with life and energy throughout the whole morning, Gavin cautiously stepped forward to the main hub.

Gavin stopped at a mall directory, its screen cracked and fizzing in and out, yet still semi-functional. He looked for where Nines could possibly be, because where the fuck would he go in this mall where he thought Gavin wouldn’t find him? He noted that the entire east side of the building wasn’t on the whole building plan, covered by an ad for Uncle Wiley Toys’ products, including a Blinky plush, a Sniggle stuffy, and of course, the Tickle-Me-Wiggly. 

_ I’m coming for you, you nasty fuck,  _ Gavin thought to himself, before he heard a familiar tune from somewhere behind him. It sounded like that stupid Wiggly jingle that played over and over on the radio. It kept getting louder, almost as if it were getting closer.

He turned around quickly and jumped back as he found a goddamn radio — the source of the jingle — thrown at him by a random civilian. The radio hit the directory, causing a large  _ crack!  _ and rendering both the radio and the directory useless. The civilian, who Gavin recognized as Elijah Kamski, charged at him with unnatural speed, Gavin barely jumped out of the way of the rich prick.

“Sir! Please cease, cease-” Gavin tried to reason with him, but Kamski looked like he didn’t hear a thing, choosing to continue charging at him with a wide grin on his face.

Judging from how Kamski started muttering lyrics to the Wiggly jingle  _ (god, Gavin was fucking sick of that song already),  _ it looked like Kamski was also under Wiggly’s control. He tried not to shudder at the thought of the human race being taken over by some sort of demon doll, instead choosing to grab his baton to whack Kamski on the back of the head. “-cease! Stay the fuck down, you motherfucker.”

Kamski fell to the ground, most likely with a concussion, but Gavin didn’t have too much time to worry about him, seeing as more random people who he briefly saw in line started popping out of stores near the east side of the building. Gavin cursed under his breath as he armed himself, getting ready to strike at whoever the fuck had the balls to fight him over this.

One by one, the group of people charged Gavin, who deftly avoided them, knocking them out with his baton quickly and efficiently. He was thankful that he was still in shape to beat the ever-loving shit out of people with one hit, because if he wasn’t...

After a brief moment to catch his breath, Gavin delved deeper into the east side of the building, walking silently. As he walked past an electronic store, a display of TV screens lit up, all showing a fragment of a large being with two bulging orbs of light for eyes and a maw of tentacles beneath. A distorted version of the Wiggly jingle played somewhere on the east side, echoing throughout the once lively mall. Gavin shuddered as he felt like he was being watched. He turned towards the screens, looking as those glowing eyes stared him down. He gulped, shaking his head before continuing onwards.

Walking slowly through the empty hall, Gavin found himself uneasy. What if they did something to Nines? What if he was too late? He shook his head, nearly tripping over a soda can that fell from an upturned trash can. He picked up the can and shoved it in his jacket pocket, thinking it could be a good tool for distraction if he ever needed it, and continued walking, the echoes of Wiggly’s twisted tune creeping ever closer.

Gavin cursed under his breath as he approached the source of the horrid tune. The next room wasn’t much of a room, but more of a hall used for events. Decorative Christmas trees were scattered about the area, and large piles of presents were placed all around the center. At the very end of the hall was a large Wiggly-looking figure, green garlands making up its head and tentacles while two spotlights side-by-side represented its eyes.

A radio was set to full blast near one of the decorative Christmas trees, and in the center of one of the hallways what he assumed was a stripped-down Christmas tree, its branches broken off leaving jagged edges, which a barely conscious Nines was tied to. In front of Nines was one of the women Gavin saw in line, the one who was supposedly married to the straight white guy he beat up first.

Surrounding them was a group of six people that seemed to just be pouring gasoline in a circle around Nines, slowly trailing it towards him. One look at the number of people told Gavin that there was no way he would be able to sneak past them to get to Nines and get both of them out undetected, but that wasn’t saying that he couldn’t take some of them out without being spotted.

He grabbed the soda can from his jacket pocket, tossing it far off to the side. Two of the six people went out to investigate while the remaining four looked around warily before going back to pouring the gasoline. Gavin snuck off to meet the two isolated people, using the various Christmas decorations strewn about as cover. He successfully made it closer to the two people, who didn’t talk out loud yet there appeared to be  _ some  _ form of communication between them as after they looked at the can, they split apart into different directions, scouting the area for intruders.

Gavin hid behind one of the present piles awaiting the one who would inevitably cross paths with him. As soon as the person walked past him, he got up and hit them in the head with his baton, knocking them out immediately. Almost instantaneously, the other people seemed to notice he was there and rushed towards him, yet the woman stayed near Nines, only looking in his general direction for a short glare before focusing back on Nines.

“Here we fuckin’ go,” Gavin grumbled under his breath as he readied his baton. He swung hard on the people who charged at him, getting two of them with a few quick swings and electrocuting a third with his taser. The two remaining people paused for a moment, reconsidering their options before grabbing two long presents and wielding them like baseball bats. 

Taking a deep breath, Gavin rushed towards one of them, using one of his hands to swing his baton to deflect the present aimed at his face and his other to punch the present-wielding freak in the face. They stumbled backward, their face not showing any signs of being deterred yet their body visibly struggling to get up. Gavin swung his baton at the other person, who just barely dodged his swing right into the shocking prongs of his taser. Gavin smacked the other person, who was trying to stand up from the first blow, with his baton, knocking them out for a good while.

Gavin raced towards Nines without a second thought, grabbing a knife that one of the people dropped and starting to cut Nines out of his bind. Gavin grunted with effort, noticing that Nines was blearily blinking at him. Upon further inspection, Gavin saw Nines heavily beaten, pretty much every visible part of his skin bruised and blood running from his nose. “Don’t worry, Nines. I’m gonna getcha outta here.”

Nines’s eyes seemed to widen slightly, his mouth moved as if he were trying to say something but before Gavin could decipher what he said, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He screamed, wrenching himself away from the blade in his shoulder, wounding him even more as he stared up at his assailant. The woman who was previously talking to Nines stood in front of him, her eyes burning with rage.

“You’re ruining everything!” the woman shrieked as she wiped the blood off her pocket knife with her hand, clenching her fist before pointing the blade towards Gavin. “I’m going to be Wiggly’s prophet, whether you like it or not!”

She charged at him again, swinging her knife wildly at him while proclaiming how as Wiggly’s prophet she’ll be the only one safe from Wiggly’s wrath. To be completely honest, Gavin was already having a hard time understanding all this fucking Wiggly lore, and he was too busy trying not to get his face cut open to even try to listen to whatever the fuck this so-called ‘prophet’ was raving on about.

Gavin huffed as he was finally able to get up, unholstering his gun and attempting to fire non-lethal shots at the prophet. She dodged them with feral grace, her maniacal laughter seemingly amplified by the radio’s speakers. The woman slashed and slashed, one of her slashes catching Gavin’s arm and causing him to drop his gun. She kicked it away just as Gavin tried to reach for it, before rearing her leg back and kicking him in the face.

He doubled back, struggling to get up as the prophet simply laughed, raising her hand up. Suddenly, Gavin felt himself being hoisted up by his arms as a burly man he didn’t see patrolling the area lifted him by his armpits. The woman grinned wide, resting her blade beneath Gavin’s chin. “Oh, you’re going to be  _ such  _ a great sacrifice for Wiggly. He will be feasting on your assiduous soul!”

Four of the followers, who came out of nowhere, started surrounding him, each of them holding a limb to prevent more struggling and Gavin closed his eyes, preparing for the knife to pierce his throat, but three things came before anything happened to him.

The first thing was a weary voice. Someone familiar. “Sorry, I think he’s gonna have to deal with the famine first.”

And then, a shot rang through the hall, barely overtaken by the radio’s crackling noises.  _ Bang! _

Finally, several gasps from behind him as the prophet fell to the ground in front of him, a bullet hole through her chest. Blood pooled from the wound, staining the prophet’s clothes before a pained whine left her lips. Her eyes rolled up to the back of her head, before she collapsed on the ground with a  _ thud!  _ The followers who held Gavin dropped him immediately before rushing to the prophet, wailing about her untimely demise. Gavin looked towards where the shot came from, seeing Nines holding the gun, breathing heavily.

“N-...Nines?” Gavin heaved as he got up, walking on uneven legs towards the taller man. “Are… Are you alright?”

Nines simply huffed a breath as he limped towards Gavin, raising his arms for support. Gavin hugged him tightly, his breathing heavy as he struggled to keep both of them upright. Nines let his head fall into Gavin’s hair, a shaky breath leaving him as he began laughing quietly. “It’s over.”

“It’s over,” Gavin repeated, a grin breaking through his pained face. If a few tears were shed among them, who was there to have seen it? Nines grinned back at him, undeterred despite the evident exhaustion on both of their faces. They laughed for a brief moment, only snapping out of it once the follower who originally held Gavin up grabbed onto something and raised it over his head, yelling.

“Wiggly! I’m the prophet now!” the lumberjack follower exclaimed, and waved a fucking Wiggly doll in the air. Apparently, Nines had enough of seeing Wiggly, since he used the last bullet in the gun to shoot the doll, causing its face to be blown apart and revealing the dark gunk within the cotton. Gavin grimaced as the black goop sprayed from the doll into the follower’s open mouth, screaming about the death of his god.

“Alright. Here’s how it’s gonna go,” Nines stated as he pulled away from Gavin, not too far to no longer be touching him, but far enough that he wasn’t obstructing the detective. The man looked up at him, the dark goop dripping out from his open jaw, while the others stared at them with blank looks. Nines took a few steps back and dragged Gavin with him. “You either leave this place, forget about everything you saw and did in here. Go back to your families, eat a fucking feast, I don’t care.”

The followers’ eyes kept flicking between Nines and the destroyed doll, eagerly awaiting the other option. Nines pulled out an old lighter and clicked it on, his hand hovering over the trail of gasoline. “Or. You can burn here with your Wiggly. Die here with your god. The decision is yours.”

Gavin stared up at Nines, his brows furrowed so hard yet… he couldn’t really find himself to care. After the tragedy of everything that fucking doll has caused, this place deserved to be lost in the ashes. The tainted memories of what happened here ought to fade away, as the agony of every tragedy should. He closed his eyes, his grip on Nines tightening for a brief moment.

“Wiggly will be reborn. You can never escape him,” the follower muttered as tears began falling down his face, dripping onto the doll’s ruined fabric. The others joined him, a cacophony of fanatical voices, aching to be heard. “He will return! And you will not be able to stop him!”

Nines simply sighed, squeezing Gavin tight before letting the lighter drop and running away from the epicenter. Gavin kept his eyes shut, running alongside Nines, pressed against his skin as the remaining followers screamed out in pain, yet still proclaimed about Wiggly’s rebirth and their inevitable demise. The cold winter breeze hit Gavin’s skin as soon as they got out of the building, yet he couldn’t find it in himself to care.

All he could do was run. Run towards his car. Get into his car, let Nines in through the passenger door. Put the keys into the ignition. And drive.

He drove on and on, further and further away from Lakeside Mall, seeing a large orange hue emanating from the direction and the feeling of his heater suddenly becoming unbearable. Nines leaned on the door, offering his hand out to Gavin as they drove through empty roads. Gavin took his hand and squeezed gently, before putting it back on the gear stick.

There was a tense silence between them, both of them still processing what had just happened in the mall. Finally, it was broken when Nines decided to speak. “I’m sorry.”

Gavin hummed as he idly tapped on the steering wheel, his eyes focused on the road in front of them. He chanced a look towards Nines, seeing him gaze back at him with a gentle, if shy, smile. “I’m sorry too.”

Nines let out a deep exhale as his body untensed, and Gavin did too. The drive was long and hard, yet they both had small smiles on their faces, the tension not entirely gone from their bodies, yet gradually fading. Eventually, they got to the intersection. The place where Nines and Gavin would most likely go their separate ways, and never see each other ever again.

“This is my stop. Thanks, Gav. For everything.” Without any hesitation, Nines pressed a chaste kiss on Gavin’s lips, before getting out of the car. Gavin touched his chapped lips, trying to commit his first  _ actual _ kiss in twenty years to memory as he watched Nines walk away for a few moments. He sighed before driving up to where Nines was, rolling down the window.

“Hey,” Gavin said awkwardly, catching Nines off-guard. Nines paused his walking as Gavin stepped out of his car and stood in front of the taller man. “So, I have a kid now. And they’d really like to meet you.”

Nines’s eyes widened in surprise, then creased in worry. “Gavin… are you sure this is a good idea? We just beat the shit out of each other in a mall because of a fucking doll. Now you want me to meet your kid?”

“Yeah.” Gavin grabbed Nines’s hand gently, bringing it to his lips as he pressed a kiss onto his knuckle. He smiled up at Nines, who despite still looking unsure, also looked like he wanted to believe Gavin. “Come with me. Stay awhile. You can leave whenever you want, just come with me first.”

It wasn’t an ultimatum. It was a trial run. An offering to let him stay, and maybe stay with him for as long as they live. Gavin let go of Nines’s hand and leaned back on his car, giving him a small smile. Nines seemed to mull over his choices, before he sighed and walked over to the passenger seat, getting in without too much of a fuss.

Gavin grinned back at him, tired and bloody yet still ecstatic as he got back into the driver’s seat. After locking their doors, they drove off back to the lodge hidden among the thicket of trees, humming songs from their childhood.

* * *

After pausing at a nearby gas station to clean themselves up a bit  _ (because Nines brought up the fact that maybe meeting Drew all bloodied wouldn’t go so well),  _ the pair drove off closer to the cabin. Then at some point before midnight, Gavin and Nines arrived in front of the cabin, talking animatedly about whatever the fuck was going on in their lives ever since they split. To be completely honest, Gavin was just glad that he and Nines were at least on speaking terms, even after god knows how long they’ve been apart. The fact that Nines kissed him earlier still ran rampant through his mind, repeating like a broken record, and it sorta felt like… 

Like Nines was still interested in him.

Despite the years they’ve spent apart, years of not talking, Nines still kinda liked him. It was a wild thought for Gavin, being sure that because of all the changes in both of their lives, Nines would’ve surely moved on. Hell, he half-expected Nines to already have a partner, but the talks they had on the way to the cabin proved otherwise.

Gavin got out of the car, too busy making sure Nines could get out of the car without falling on his ass to notice Drew run towards him and tackle him with all their might. Gavin let out a pained grunt as he and his kid toppled to the ground, yet he still hugged Drew close to his chest as soon as he got his bearings back. He smiled as he got into a sitting position, pressing his face against the top of Drew’s head. “Hey bud. Told ya we’d be back.”

“...didn’t think you’d stick to your promise earlier. What with all the…” Drew whispered into Gavin’s chest, just barely loud enough for him to hear, their words breaking his heart into a million pieces.  _ It wasn’t like I gave them any reason to believe otherwise,  _ Gavin thought miserably.

“I know.” Gavin held them tighter to his chest, raking his hands through their hair in a small attempt to comfort them. “I haven’t been the best dad. But I’ll try to be better. I promise.”

For a moment, Drew didn’t say anything, they just hugged him as tight as they could. They drew back after a few more reassurances that Gavin was here, that he wasn’t going anywhere, before grinning at Gavin, tears starting to form in their eyes. “I missed you, dad.”

“Missed ya too, kiddo.” Gavin smiled as he ruffled his kid’s hair, causing them to let out a dignified squawk, giggling as they tried to pull away from him. Drew then looked somewhere behind Gavin, then at Gavin, and it took a moment for Gavin to realize that he had — in fact  — brought Nines to see Drew.

“Ah, this is Nines. He’s the guy I was talkin’ about earlier.” Gavin gestured towards Nines, who waved kind of awkwardly. Gavin shook his head and smiled as discreetly as he could, though a look at Drew gave him said that he wasn’t as slick as he thought he was.

Nines walked a bit forward, crouching down to get to their level before extending a hand towards Drew. “Hey. I’m Nines. I knew your dad back in high school.”

Drew looked at his hand rather suspiciously, before taking it in their own and shaking it. “I’m Drew. What’s your deal with my dad? How did you guys meet? Is it true that you’re the only one who beat him at Mario Party because I’ve never seen hi-”

Gavin laughed  _ (rather loudly)  _ at how Nines struggled to answer Drew’s relentless interrogation. He laughed, even when they stopped to stare at him with grinning faces, and for once in his life, he felt like he was happy. Like he didn’t fuck everything up.

After a few more seconds, Gavin shook his head and stood up with Drew. He stretched for the first time in a couple hours, feeling the ache of his muscles from all that...  _ action,  _ from earlier, before he grabbed Nines by his arm and herded both him and Drew towards the house. “Alright, let’s get inside. It’s hella cold and we need to see if Nines can still beat me at Mario Party.”

Drew’s eyes lit up, and they began to talk excitedly with Nines about which Mario Party was the best, and Gavin found himself genuinely happy as he walked inside the cabin with his two favorite people.

* * *

“Come on, come on,” Gavin groaned as he rolled a 2, landing directly into a Bowser space. Nines and Drew cheered as Gavin was forced to give away a couple stars to Nines. “I’m still gonna win, y’know.”

“I dunno, dad. Based on how these past few games have been going…” Drew gestured towards the score total, which had Nines at a nice 63 stars, Drew themselves at a decent 58 stars, and Gavin with the lowest at 39 stars. Gavin just glared at them, which caused them to laugh louder. “What? I’m just saying!”

“You sayin’ I can’t wipe the floor with you clowns?” Gavin snarled, yet he couldn’t fight the grin breaking out on his face from seeing Drew and Nines laughing together, high-fiving… if it meant purposefully losing at Mario Party, well. It was worth it.

“I believe you,” Nines teased with a shit-eating grin on his face. Gavin turned to Nines and flipped him off  _ (away from Drew’s line of sight, but he had a feeling that they already knew what he was doing), _ and just shook his head. Nines gave him a brief look that was too quick to decipher before turning back to face the TV. Gavin shrugged it off, yet his mind was still stuck on what the look Nines gave him meant.

The rest of the game flew by quickly and Drew somehow barely managed to be the victor, beating Nines’s total of 76 stars with their own of 77. There was quite a bit of shouting before Gavin reminded the two hooligans that Chris and Tina were actually trying to sleep, because it was already nearing midnight and that they should all actually have gone to sleep hours ago instead of continuously playing.

Gavin helped set up the couch for Nines, who just had this soft smile on his face the whole time. Nines sighed contentedly, taking one of Gavin’s hands in his own and caressing it gently. “Thanks, Gav. For everything.”

“Anytime,” Gavin smiled back at him, thinking about how much he didn’t even realize how much he missed the softer moments like these. His heart still ached from the fact that Nines would have to go eventually, but he pushed that thought aside, instead choosing to live in the present. “G’night, Nines.”

“Night, Gav.” Nines brought a hand up to caress his cheek, and he leaned into it, committing the distantly familiar warmth to memory, knowing that it’s unlikely that he’d ever feel it again. After a short moment, they went their separate ways, Gavin to his own room and Nines to lay on the couch.

Gavin sighed as he entered his and Drew’s room, shuffling slowly and getting in bed right next to his kid. He kissed them on the head, turning to face the other way before they suddenly spoke up. “I like Nines.”

“...I like him too,” Gavin responded.

“He’s funny and sweet and smart and he makes you smile more often. Genuinely.” Drew murmured sleepily, and Gavin would’ve liked to say that he was surprised that they saw, but he wasn’t. He raised them to be attentive, after all. Regardless, Drew continued:. “I’ve only seen you smile or laugh like that whenever you’re really happy. I don’t know what kind of past you guys have, but it’s obvious that you guys care for each other.”

“Yeah. We really… we really do,” Gavin laughed softly as he turned to face Drew, a soft smile on his usually rough face. “He’s always made me feel like that.”

The two of them didn’t say anything for a short while after that, their breathing the only sounds to be heard in the quiet room. Drew then opened their eyes and looked at Gavin with a questioning gaze. “Are you gonna ask him to be your boyfriend?”

Gavin spluttered, forming sentences then abandoning them in rapid succession, leaving half-formed messes which were supposed to be coherent words to convey that  _ ‘no, I’m not asking him that’.  _ Drew chuckled to themselves quietly, before fixing Gavin with a stern, yet somehow gentle look. “I meant what I said earlier, dad. I really like him. And you said it yourself, you really like him too. You gotta take your shot before he’s gone.”

“You’ve been watching too many romcoms,” Gavin mused, earning a pillow to the face from Drew. He snickered at their reaction, yet took into account their words. “We’ll see about my confession to him, alright? G’night kiddo.”

“G’night dad,” Drew replied, closing their eyes. A few moments passed, and their breathing steadied as they fell asleep, yet Gavin couldn’t find it in him to fall asleep. Drew’s words clung to his brain, refusing to let go and always diverting his thoughts to Nines, who was just beyond the door, probably ruining any chance of sleep he’d get that night.

He sighed as he got up and out of bed, patting Drew’s head both as a means to comfort them and make sure that they’re still asleep. Moving out to the dining area, he fished around for his smokes and lighter only to find them missing. Although… he did have a suspicion of where they were.

He made his way towards the balcony, where lo and behold, he found Nines standing there, leaning on the railing and smoking what he assumed to be one of his cigarettes. Gavin’s cigarettes and lighter laid on the table beside Nines, even though Gavin swore that he put those in the dining area. Regardless, Gavin made his way towards the table and grabbed a cigarette, to which Nines took the lighter and lit it for him.

“Thanks.” Gavin inhaled deeply, before releasing the smoke out into the night sky. “Couldn’t sleep either, huh?”

“Nah. Too much going on with all that Wiggly bullshit back at Lakeside.” Nines snorted softly, shaking his head before he took another puff of his cigarette. After a short silence, he gestured towards the cabin. “...and you asking me to stay also put a lot of thoughts in my head.”

Gavin hummed in a non-committal manner, letting the ambiance around them settle for a moment before he began speaking. “Remember back in high school, when we promised each other that we’d start a family together?”

“Yeah, yeah. I remember. At least one of us got to do that, right?”

“Well… I’ve been thinking,” Gavin started, casually looking over to Nines. “You could maybe be a part of that? Our family, I mean.”

Nines’s eyes widened and he cursed as his cigarette nearly dropped, opening his mouth as if he was about to say something and then closing it as if he decided otherwise. He then shook his head vigorously, putting out his cigarette on the ashtray before sighing. “Gavin,  _ please  _ think about this. What would Drew think about this? How would they feel about you suddenly asking someone you haven’t seen in two decades to join your family?”

“Asking you to join us was actually Drew’s idea.” Gavin scratched the back of his neck as he shrugged. Nines just stared at him, looking like he wanted to believe him but still couldn’t. The shorter man sighed as he put his cigarette down on the ashtray and put both his hands on Nines’s shoulders. “Just hear me out, okay? I know I’m not the best person to be a dad. I’m bold, brash, arrogant, all that negative shit. I know that I’ve got some positive qualities, but I can’t really use that to excuse my bad ones.”

Gavin paused to see if Nines would give any reactions, but aside from looking down, it didn’t look like Nines was going to do anything else. He continued. “Drew needs someone who’s chill, rational, someone who thinks first before doing things. Drew needs you.  _ I  _ need you. Drew really likes you. I do too. So, will you join our family and be my boyfriend?” 

Nines looked up at him, fondness and affection swirling in his teary eyes before he took Gavin by his shoulder for a passionate kiss. The kiss tasted of smoke and felt like a breath of fresh air, and Gavin couldn’t help but sink deeper into it, tugging Nines closer to his body. Nines didn’t resist, embracing him tightly and after they separated for air, laid his head on top of Gavin’s.

After a few moments of silence, the air around them buzzing with energy that Gavin couldn’t put a name to, Nines pulled back slightly, if only to meet Gavin’s eyes and a warm smile. He smiled, choking back a sob as he hugged Gavin to his chest once more, holding him in his arms as if letting go would mean losing him again. “Of course, Gav.”

“How ‘bout we try goin’ to bed?” Gavin asked after they separated. Nines only smiled and nodded, taking his hand in his. 

They walked together to Gavin and Drew’s room, quietly opening the door to not wake Drew up. As they laid together in bed, Drew immediately clung to Nines, and Gavin chuckled quietly as Nines tried but ultimately failed to get them off, resigned to just lying down with Drew’s arms around his chest.

Gavin snuggled in closer to both Drew and Nines, sighing contentedly, and for once, he didn’t think about how he fucked up this or that. No, he just thought about how goddamn  _ lucky  _ he was to have the two most precious people in his life right next to him.


End file.
